title: Impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy on salivary flow in patients with human-immuno deficiency virus disease in Southern India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain and compare between highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and non-HAART patients, the stimulated salivary flow rates and unstimulated salivary flow rates (USFR and SSFR) and to correlate the salivary flow rates with immune suppression.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred human-immuno deficiency virus seropositive patients attending RAGAS-YRG CARE were examined and divided into two groups, a HAART group (patients on combination antiretroviral therapy) comprising 50 patients and a non-HAART group comprising 50 patients. The HAART group was followed every 3 months after the baseline visit (0) for a period of 9 months, during which a clinical oral examination and collection of unstimulated and stimulated saliva was done. Their salivary gland function was assessed using a xerostomia inventory during each visit. The study on non-HAART group was cross-sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Statistical analysis were performed with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 10.05) software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference in mean SSFR and USFR between the two groups at baseline. In the HAART group, the mean stimulated salivary flow rate increased from baseline to 3 months (P = 0.02), with the increase being maintained at 6 months and 9 months. When salivary flow rates were correlated with Cluster of Differentiation, CD4 counts, patients in the HAART group with a CD4 ≤ 200 at 6 months visit had a higher mean stimulated salivary flow rate when compared with patients with CD4 ≥ 200 (P = 0.02). The xerostomia inventory did not reveal any significant difference between the two groups and HAART was not significantly associated with xerostomia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In our study HAART was neither associated with xerostomia nor a reduction in salivary flow rate and immune suppression was not a significant factor for decreasing the salivary flow rate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Madha Dental College and Hospital, Kundrathur, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pavithra
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ranganathan
authors.forename: Umadevi K
authors.initials: UK
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Joshua
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rooban
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumarasamy
keywords: Cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) count; highly active antiretroviral therapy; human-immuno deficiency virus; salivary flow rates